Uptown Stroll

     Here is a photograph that I have been meaning to make for a while now. The opportunity arose while on an Uptown photo adventure with my friend, Tyler Pomroy (www.tylerpomroy.com), back in mid October. Enjoy!

** Click on photo to view larger. 

Van Dusen Mansion Wedding

     Here are a few of my favorite images from a wedding that I assisted for on September 28th (shows how I am blowing it when it comes to blog updates) at the Van Dusen Mansion. Thanks goes out to the bride and groom for having Matt and I photograph their special day. Thanks also goes out to my friend, Matt, for having me as his assistant / second shooter. I look forward to the next opportunity! Check out his wedding photos at www.sepetaweddings.com. Enjoy!

     It was funny comparing the two atmospheres of the men and women while getting ready for the wedding. While the ladies frantically apply makeup and do their hair, the guys lounge around in the basement of the mansion playing video games on the big screen TV. The difference in preparation time was probably: ladies = 1.5 hours and guys = 15 minutes. Here we have one of the bridesmaids applying eye-liner (or something?) to the bride, Gaoxue. 

The groom, Alex, waits at the bottom of the mansion staircase before the first meet.

     The ceremony was held in the mansion courtyard, which was later transformed into a reception space with cocktail tables. For the left photo, while entering the building to get the window shot of the bride and groom walking down the aisle, the main door was very squeaky, which attracted a lot of attention toward me. I felt pretty embarrassed.  

One of the groomsmen. I think he was feeling pretty good about his mustache. 

     Thanks again for stopping by my blog. I apologize, once again, that my updates have not been as consistent lately. Take care!

Wandering Downtown Minneapolis

Chicago

     Sara (my fiance) and I had the wonderful opportunity to explore Chicago this last weekend! Sara's older brother, Josh, and their friend, Alex, went to the Iron Maiden concert at Tinley Park... and so we came with just to hang out and tour the Windy City. Illinois had a heat blast while we were there with temperatures peaking over 100˚. I read articles later stating that the heat was to blame for Chicago's recent increase in crime. During our short time there, we witnessed a guy steal a full bag worth of items from a Dollar Tree. Pretty hardcore... I know. In other strange occurrences that went down over the trip - a lady apparently had a seizure (at least that's what we assumed) and began biting Alex's arm at Millennium Park. Zombie Apocalypse? I have been watching too much of The Walking Dead lately... Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the few images I posted below. Thanks for looking!

The first two photos above were shot from the Terrace at Trump (16th floor) - facing South / SW.

Part of the Wrigley Building as seen from The Terrace at Trump.

Cooling off at the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

Evening congestion.

Chicago Chinatown.

     We began our last day looking around Chinatown. It was interesting seeing all the strange and unusual foods available in the markets. You can purchase shark fin for something around $450 a pound. Perhaps the most disturbing (at least to Sara), were the giant slabs of turtle meat that hung inside one of the markets. After poking around some of the stores in Chinatown, Sara and I spent the rest of the day lying out on the beach and swimming in the great Lake Michigan... a perfect ending to our trip!

     Thanks goes out to Josh, Karina, Alex, and Sara for an amazing trip! Please check out more of my photos at www.brandonlepasti.com. Thank you.

HCSC Photo Workshop

     I was given an incredible opportunity to participate in the High Cascade Snowboard Camp Photo Workshop in Government Camp, Oregon. Throughout the workshop, I experienced shooting at Studio Nemo in Portland, snowboarding and making photos on Mt. Hood, as well as some amazing lectures and slideshows by professionals such as: Trevor Graves, Tim Zimmerman, Chris Owen, Aaron Blatt, Kari Rowe, Chris Wellhausen, Scott Serfas, Andy Wright, and Christy Chaloux. Of course, I met a handful of aspiring snowboarders and photographers on the way as well. Check out the official session 1 recap video below to get a feel for what went down on the mountain over the last week!

     **Note: I did NOT film or edit the videos below.

HCSC 2012: Session 1 Recap

     Also, check out the edit that the video workshop guys made with help from Joe Carlino and Justin Meyer from Videograss!

HCSC x VG Video Workshop Edit

     Finally, take a look at some of the photos I made one sunny day out on the mountain. I will explain a little bit of each. Enjoy!

Lunch Break. High Cascade Snowboard Camp. June 2012.

     Every morning, before breakfast, we would pack a sack lunch back at camp. Which is why you don't want to miss breakfast or else you'll starve on the mountain... unless you want to ride all the way down to the bottom to eat at the chalet (which then you would miss out on all the fun). I forgot to turn my phone off vibrate mode this particular day and missed out on breakfast (and lunch)... it sucked. Luckily, we had a BBQ up on the mountain that day. Anyway, my friend, Eddie (orange face mask), stands out amongst the crowd during lunch break.

Seth Hill. Handplant. High Cascade Snowboard Camp. June 2012.

Kyle Fischer. Method. High Cascade Snowboard Camp. June 2012.

     The two photos above / below are from the "night shoot", which was actually a sunset shoot. Either way, the light was gorgeous and overall, it was a phenomenal experience. 

Louif Paradis. BS 180 Method. High Cascade Snowboard Camp. June 2012.

     This is a photo of the largest jump they had for the first session. All the people and gear on deck are from the photo workshop. While most everyone was getting their wide-angle shots, I enjoyed stepping back from the chaos and incorporating more of the environment. This turned out to be my favorite shot from the day. 

     Thanks again everyone, for checking out my blog! If this is your first time here (or even if it isn't), make sure to check out more of my work at www.brandonlepasti.com. Also, check out these other websites of professionals and companies relating to the workshop:

- aaronblatt.com

- andywrightphoto.com (site under construction)

- chrisowenphoto.com

- christychaloux.com

- chriswellhausen.com

- karirowe.com (site under construction)

- scottserfas.com

- www.timzimmerman.com (site under construction)

- www.trevorgraves.com

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- highcascade.com

- studionemo.com

- transworldsnowboarding.com

- vgsnow.com

Internship

     Over the last 2-3 months, I had been interning for Conor and Larry Callahan at 514 Studios, located in the historic warehouse district of Minneapolis. Larry (Conor's Dad) has worked as a commercial photographer for over 30 years and is the owner of 514 Studios. Conor is a man of many jobs. Not only is he the studio manager at 514, but he also works as a freelance producer, photo rep., and owner of Pavlv - a company that helps market for photographers and other artists. Both Conor and Larry are extremely knowledgeable in the field of photography and I am very grateful for the lessons and experiences I had gained throughout my time there.

     Below is a portrait I made of Larry standing next to his old mono stand in the back corner of the studio. Thank you, Larry, for having patience to stand for my photograph even though you had so much going on that day while preparing for your trip to New York.

Lawrence J. Callahan. Commercial Photographer. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

     Check out the following websites to learn more of what Conor and Larry are all about:

- callahanandco.com

- 514studios.com

- clreps.com

- pavlv.com

     Thanks again for looking at my blog! Make sure to check out my website to view more of my images! www.brandonlepasti.com

amorphous

     First off, we had a great turnout for our group exhibition at the Northrup King Building last night! Thanks goes out to everyone who made it. Another huge thanks goes out to everyone's hard work who was a part of the show. It was a fun night!

     There is another photo exhibition this coming Thursday, June 14, at the Art Institutes International Minnesota in Downtown Minneapolis. A few of the same photographers will be there from last nights show, but there will be a lot of new ones as well! Check below for info.

Time: Thursday, June 14, 2012. 6p.m. - 8:30p.m.

Location:
Art Institutes International Minnesota
15 S. 9th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402

(Click on names to view websites)

Photographers:
Heather Bartlett
Jatten Daniel
Molly Dougherty
Spencer Falls
Kyle Frederick
Ge Khang
Brandon Lepasti
Lillian Mohs
Kim Pechter
Ally Wurts

Website: amorphous2012.com

nin[9]

     Join us for "First Thursdays" at the Northrup King Building in North Minneapolis on June 7, starting at 6 p.m.! Nine emerging photographers (including myself) from the Art Institutes International Minnesota will be holding a group portfolio exhibition, where each person will have up to 7-10 prints hung and more. Check below for details!

Time: Thursday, June 7, 2012. 6p.m. - 9p.m.

Location: 
Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Suite 332

http://www.northrupkingbuilding.com/firstthursdays

(Click on names to view websites)

Musical Guest: Native Slang

Photographers:
Ashlee Bennett
Jatten Daniel
Molly Dougherty
Kate Engelmann
Brandon Lepasti
Lillian Mohs
Tyler Pomroy
Alexis Tepp
Ally Wurts

     Every first Thursday of the month, artists at the Northrup King Building open their studios to the public to view/ purchase their work. I find this to be a fun and relaxing way to spend an evening. Before or after checking out our photos, you'll get to see numerous other artists and their work! Stop on by! We would really appreciate it.

     A special thanks goes out to our photo instructor, Sarah Whiting, for being a huge part of providing the space for our show!

TWS - Your Turn Photo Contest

     Roughly a few months ago, I entered an image of Dan Liedahl into Your Turn Photo Contest - an amateur photo contest held by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine. There were four categories to enter in: "Ultimate Jib", "Into The Dark", "White Room", and "Pipe Dreams". My image won the "Ultimate Jib" category. Now we are down to the four finalists of each category. The winner receives a free trip to High Cascade Snowboard Camp to be a part of the photography workshop they hold there. This would be a huge opportunity to make some photographs and to make some great connections. Check the link below to see the photo I entered, as well as the other three finalists.

TWS - Your Turn Photo Contest: Finalists

Portfolio Round 2

     I'm way overdue on posting these photos. Lately, I have been preparing for graduation and a couple upcoming portfolio shows I am participating in (one of which is my graduation show). I will make a blog post on the events soon. For now though, here are a few images I turned in for the second round of photos for my portfolio class.

     Thanks goes out to Marlene for inviting me into her home to photograph her. Thanks also goes to Bob and Irene for having my grandma, my mom, and myself over for snacks and photos. This year marks Bob and Irene's 60th Wedding Anniversary! What great inspiration they are to us all.

** To clear up any confusion, the two people photographed below do not know each other in any way (just in case some of you mix up the names Marlene and Irene). 

Marlene Doheny (Photo/s above and below)

Robert F. Lundberg

     A special thanks goes out to, Christopher Broll, for his assistance in post production of the last image. It's amazing what he is capable of in Photoshop. www.christopherallen.ph.

     Finally, thanks to all of you for visiting my blog! For more work, check out my website at www.brandonlepasti.com.

Portfolio Round 1

     Mark F. Heiman has worked in web technology at Carleton College since 94, where he is now Senior Web Application Developer. He also runs a publishing company on his spare time called, Loomis House (named after his homes original builder), focusing primarily on folk music related themes. 

     Mark built the library (pictured below) from scratch within roughly a three month period. The space used to be a kitchen and bathroom when the house was first built in 1856 by George Loomis, brother-in-law of John North (founder of Northfield). The house was turned into an apartment building in the 1950's. Mark bought the house in 95 and began his own renovations. He now lives there with his wife, Laura, and kids: Eleanor and Oliver. The library consists of approximately 3,000 books, a hidden door that leads to the basement, and a pull down movie screen toward the end of the room that they refer to as the "Movie Palace".  

Mark F. Heiman.

Mark and his son, Oliver. 

     Thanks goes out to Mark, Eleanor, and Oliver for being so cooperative. Thanks also goes out to Laura and my fiance, Sara, for making us a fantastic meal afterwards. 

     Another special thanks goes out to Christopher Broll for his assistance in post production of the first image. 

     For more of my work, check out my website at www.brandonlepasti.com.

Website Launched

     I recently launched my new website! Check it out at www.brandonlepasti.com. Don't think this means the end of my photo blog though. My new site has a link to my blog and I plan to continue updating it with photo posts and other random thoughts as often as I can.

     Thanks goes out to Pixpa for providing clean and simple website templates at such a great price. Their EasyStudio Control Panel  is very user friendly and so far their customer service seems to be pretty on top of things whenever I have any issues. 

     Another special thanks goes out to my friend, Robert McGraw, for creating my new logo and helping me with my business system. Currently, we are working on the design of my business card, resume, and leave behind. As well as some other fun stuff! Bobby (Robert) is an amazing graphic designer! He is extremely passionate for what he does. It's great when a designer is just as excited to create your business system as you are, if not more. His website is currently under construction, but I will make sure to post it on my blog as soon as it goes live. 

     Thanks again everyone!

www.brandonlepasti.com

Port Prep Round 4

     Here are the last set of images I presented for Portfolio Preparation. Thanks goes out to those who provided their time and efforts for my photographs. I hope you all enjoy.

     The first two photos are of Greg Campbell - President of The Campbell Logan Bindery located in the historic warehouse district of Minneapolis.

Shelves full of various fabrics used for book covers and etc.  

     Greg sitting at his desk in the research library.

     Greg's son, Duncan Campbell (Vice President), working in the library binding room.

     The Campbell Logan Bindery has been family owned and operated for over fifty years. The way they operate is pretty old school... a lot of hands-on work, which allows them to provide their clients with a more custom-made design. I will be working with them in designing my portfolio book, which I am very excited for. Check out their website at www.campbell-logan.com. Or better yet, visit them in person. The experience of being there feels as if you have stepped back in time!

Michael Courteau. English Instructor. 

Jeff Burkett. Mathematics and Science Instructor. 

     Thanks goes out to, Kate Engelmann, who assisted me with the above image.

     A final thanks goes out to my photo instructor, Anthony Marchetti, and my fellow classmates for a great quarter in Portfolio Preparation. I appreciate all the helpful advice and criticism you all have given me over the last however many months! 

Inspiration

     I plan on posting my last set of images for Portfolio Preparation some time this week, but in the mean time, here are five professional photographer's whose work inspires me:

1. www.chrisbuck.com (celebrity portraits and etc.)
2. www.danwintersphoto.com (celebrity/ musician/ athlete portraits and etc.)
3. www.dannyclinch.com (musician portraits and etc.)
4. www.frenchfred.com (skateboard photography and etc.)
5. www.jonathanmannion.com (celebrity/ musician portraits and etc.)

     Also, I will have my website up and running some time within the next seven days, so stay tuned for that. I am excited for it!

Port Prep Round 3

    I am a bit overdue with these photos now, but here are the four images I turned in for our third class critique in Portfolio Preparation. Thanks goes out to Dana Nissen and Richard Mattox for taking the time to be in my photographs. Enjoy!

Dana Nissen PhD. Humanities Instructor. 

    Richard Mattox was once known as a notorious drug dealer around the Twin Cities, particularly North Minneapolis. People within the drug realm often called him "Caddie," for he used to roll around in a triple white Fleetwood D'Elegance and a red and white Coupe Deville. Many feared him and some even tried to kill him. Richard is another fine example of someone who's mess was turned into a message by the grace of God. Now Richard works in the construction business and is a loving and supportive father of two kids. He is active at The Rock Church Center as a greeter and has been on mission trips around the world. Richard now makes it his duty to reach out to those who are troubled, remembering how lost and mislead he once was himself. (Photo/s above and below)

 

    Thanks goes out to Christopher Broll for assisting me with the post production of the last image. He is a wizard at Photoshop. Check out his photography, as well as some time lapse videos of some of his more extensive post work. http://www.christopherallen.ph/

    As always, I want to thank those of you who visit my blog and support my photography. Check back soon to see my final round of images for my portfolio preparation class. I can hardly believe graduation is just around the corner! 

Hollywood Production Style Photographs

    This movie is going to be amazing. A behind the scenes look of the photographs by the one and only, Gregory Crewdson. Check out the trailer at the link below.

http://www.gregorycrewdsonmovie.com/

Inspiration

      I came across this video about a National Geographic photographer, Sam Abell, who spent a year preparing for one photograph. In this case, Sam Abell knew exactly what he wanted in a photograph and he wasn't going to settle for less. This story inspires me to dig deeper into the images that I make and I hope that all of you can apply it to your life, job and/or field of study in some way as well. Click on the link below to watch the video. Enjoy.

Sam Abell - Video Interview by Alex Hoyt & Ross McDermott

Port Prep Round 2

    Here are three images that I presented in round 2 for Portfolio Preparation. Thanks to everyone who helped out! More info on the photos below. Enjoy!

    Jason Schulberg is in charge of snow grooming and terrain park maintenance and development at Buck Hill. I photographed him one foggy night standing in front of the PistenBully on the main run just after the ski resort had closed. A huge thanks goes out to Jason for working with me and making this shoot happen. Another huge thanks goes out to my friend, Jay Rainey, who took his time to help assist me in the shoot. It was a lot of work and I really do appreciate all of your time and efforts!

 

    Rita Baker is a close friend of my family. She recently received her License for Pastoral Ministry and is a Prayer Team Leader at The Rock Church Center. I photographed Rita sitting at her dining room table in her home in Hastings, Minnesota. Rita is such a sweet and caring lady. My family and I are extremely grateful to have her be a part of our lives. Thank you for all that you do, Rita.

Port Prep Round 1

    For my portfolio preparation class, each student is to turn in a minimum of three images four times throughout the quarter. The goal is to make each image worthy enough to go into his or her final portfolio. These are the three images I presented to the class for our first critique. Enjoy!

    The two photos above and below are of my first cousin, twice removed (my grandma's cousin). His name is Steve and he lives in a cozy shack out in the woods of Northern Wisconsin. Steve is known for making beautiful wreaths from branches around his surrounding area, hence is nickname: The Wreath Man. Steve has a big heart of gold and it was truly an honor to capture him in his environment. Thank you Steve. 

    The next photograph is of a very special lady whom I have photographed in the past. Her name is Elsie Erbentraut and she is my great great aunt (my grandma's aunt). 

Elsie Erbentraut. Such an inspiring woman. 

Corduroy Issue 1.5

    Every once and a while, Pete Harvey and Joe Mertes at Corduroy Lifestyles, release a small photo essay book on snowboarding in the Midwest. I contributed some photographs for their most recent issue, which 200 copies will be released for the SIA (SnowSports Industries America) Trade Show, starting January 27th. Below is a link to a little behind the scenes video of them editing the photos for issue 1.5. I'm really hyped to be a part of this. Enjoy.

Making of Issue 1.5

Antsy

    Sometimes I just feel like sharing old photographs. I have so many photos saved to my hard drive. What good does it do if no one gets to see them? So here you have it... I edited a few photos from past quarters. The two night shots go all the way back to 5th or 6th quarter. I shot the diptych photos just last quarter though. Enjoy!

Claremore, OK

    I went down South to visit Sara's family for Christmas and the New Year. We began our 13 hour drive on Sara's Golden Birthday, December 22nd. Our first 4-5 days were spent at Sara's grandparents house. They own 10 acres in Claremore, Oklahoma. I wandered around their property and shot some photos while we had some downtime. Enjoy!

Inspiration

    I feel like sharing some photographers who get me excited to start shooting again this coming up quarter. The first photographer is Cole Barash. He has been my favorite snowboard photographer since I first became interested in photography. Make sure to check out his blog for a good variety of his work. The second photographer is Todd Hido. He shoots a lot of eerie landscapes and architecture... vacant homes, home exteriors at night, and other things of that nature. Both are incredible at what they do! I hope you all enjoy looking at their work as much as I do!

www.colebarash.com

www.toddhido.com